In this episode of 'The Books That Made Me', Ben Keene (Co-founder of Rebel Book Club) talks to Ciaran Thapar about 3 nonfiction books that have had a massive impact on him to date, including the writers and storytellers who inspired the way he shaped 'Cut Short', his debut nonfiction title that tells the stories of four men at 'the sharp end the UK's youth violence epidemic'. Ciaran also reflects on the book that 'felt like talking to his late grandparents', by allowing him to dive deep into the history surrounding his cultural heritage, whilst also exposing crucial gaps in the British education system. Enjoy!
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Ciaran Thapar is a writer, youth worker and education consultant based in London. He has experience volunteering and working across secondary schools, youth services and the criminal justice system. His youth and education work focuses on preventing social exclusion and violence amongst young people who face systemic disadvantage. He is the Founder of RoadWorks LDN, a community interest organisation which supports young people to tell stories through music and writing workshops. As a regular contributor to the Guardian, British GQ and others, Ciaran writes longform profiles, narrative nonfiction stories and investigative features about themes like social justice, urban inequality, British-Punjabi identity and London music culture. He teaches 'Writing for Social Impact' at City University and holds an MSc in Political Theory from the London School of Economics.
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Ciaran's choices were:
1. The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell
2. The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighbourhood by David Simon
3. Partition Voices: Untold British Stories by Kavita Puri
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